If the trailer presented at the press conference for Ch8 upcoming romantic comedy A Tale of Two Cities was anything to go by, we think Pierre Png might have a good chance being nominated for Best Actor in Star Awards next year.

In A Tale of Two Cities, Pierre plays Hong Kong veteran actress Choo Mimi’s adopted son Lin Wen Tao, who is not only a three-time taekwondo champion, but also a professional wedding photographer at his mother’s bridal shop.

A gentle and simple man by nature, Wen Tao is in cahoots with his mother, to try and change willful heiress Zhang Ya Le (played by Rui En) for the better. The two later fall in love and ultimately get married, but not without an obstacle, which comes in the form of an ex-girlfriend.

During the press conference, Pierre stated that filming A Tale of Two Cities with Rui En was a relaxed affair, although he still felt slightly pressurised because “she’s (Rui En) really good at what she does”.

This would be the second time Pierre and Rui En play onscreen couple; the first being Honour and Passion in 2007.

“Rui En is a lovely actress to work with. I love the way she gets into character because she’s so not like the character that she plays,” Pierre laughed during an interview with xinmsn.

Pierre further complimented his co-star for “bringing substance and life into her character”.

The actor added that working with Choo Mimi was a great learning experience, saying that she had “so much experience [with] the way they tackle the character, the way they prepare for the character”.

“Everything they do is just something to watch, something to learn from,” he said.

Pierre also called Choo Mimi “a joy to work with” as the talkative actress would take away the pressure from any scenes — be it an emotional one or a scene which required quarreling or bantering.

Despite starring in high-profile dramas such as Your Hand in Mine and The Score last year, Pierre has failed to secure a Best Actor nomination in the Star Awards this year.

When asked how he felt about not being nominated, Pierre said that since the beginning of his acting career, he had never actually thought he would make it into the Most Popular Male Artiste or even be nominated for Best Actor.

His last Best Actor nomination was in 2006 for his role as Nameless in The Shining Star, where he starred opposite then-newcomer Dawn Yeoh.

“That one time that I was nominated for Best Actor, they had to put me in the same category as Li Nanxing. So I thought that was a real sick joke,” Pierre guffawed.

While it was a pity he was not nominated this time, the actor said he would be supporting his friends at the event and wished all the nominees best of luck.

“I’m happy just being on the payroll, just having roles to play, different characters to analyse, different shows to be in and acting with different actresses. They keep getting younger,” Pierre smirked.

Catch Pierre Png and Rui En in A Tale of Two Cities, debuting this Valentines’ Day (Feb 14), 9pm on Channel 8.